Adaptive Tournament Showcases Players’ Abilities at Historic Doubleday Field
COOPERSTOWN—Pathfinder Village athletes touched all the bases at historic Doubleday Field June 25-27, as the host team for an adaptive baseball tournament sponsored by Casey’s Clubhouse. Ball players from around the country lived out their big-league dreams, officials said—hitting, throwing, fielding and rounding the bases in the legendary Home of Baseball.
Other participating teams included Miracle League teams from Mercer County, New Jersey, Sioux City, Iowa, and Acton, Massachusetts, as well as Springbrook, Oneonta, and the travel team from the Casey’s Clubhouse headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In all, more than 400 athletes, family members, coaches, and volunteers participated in the three-day celebration of abilities, inclusion, and fun.
According to a press release, the athletes were welcomed at Doubleday Field on Wednesday by Tim Gebhart, executive director of Casey’s Clubhouse, and Scott Spiezio, a two-time World Series Champion who played for the Anaheim Angels in 2002 and St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. Casey’s Clubhouse founder and former National League All-Star Sean Casey was to attend the event but was sidelined with a serious injury during a Savannah Bananas game several weeks ago.
“Graciously, Mr. Spiezio stepped up to the plate to join in with the excitement,” officials said.
Also greeting teams were Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and Jeff Katz, president of The Friends of Doubleday, a nonprofit that helps fundraise to support the stadium’s legacy.
Rawitch said that as the athletes were playing at Doubleday Field, they too “were now a part of the history of Cooperstown.”
In his message on baseball’s inclusive growth over time, Katz recalled the mythical founding of the game in the village in 1839, and its subsequent impact on the community since the Hall of Fame opened in 1939.
“Decades ago, Cooperstown stopped calling itself the ‘Birthplace of Baseball.’ Now we say we’re the ‘Home of Baseball’,” said Katz, as he noted how Cooperstown has a special place in the hearts of fans of all abilities and walks of life.
“There’s a real baseball history here,” Katz said, “as John Thorn, the Major League Baseball historian has said, ‘Baseball wasn’t invented in Cooperstown, but it should have been.”
Pathfinder’s All Stars included Jesse Blencowe, Jona Brannigan, Joe Byrne, Nick Campbell, Ashley Dhanraj, JT Fadale, Zack Kerr, Jack Lisella, Linda McCord, Lee Oliver, Bryan Penzer, Shaun Ross, Grant Stubbs, and Todd Wratten. The team was supported by staff coaches Katlin Bond and Charleen Orendorff, along with volunteers from Pathfinder’s departments. Longtime Pathfinder friend Pete Smith of NYCM Insurance, a trustee of the Pathfinder Village Foundation, also volunteered for the team.
Following the “Hall of Fame Baseball Combine” skill session on Wednesday morning, each team played three one-hour games over the event, held rain or shine. On Thursday evening, the athletes and their families were invited to a jamboree at Pathfinder Village, Edmeston, where guests enjoyed music from a DJ, food trucks, lawn games, and opportunities to learn more about Pathfinder’s mission and services.
Pathfinder All Stars Coach Katlin Bond, senior director of residential and enrichment services, reflected, “When asked to help coordinate this event with Tim Gebhart and Casey’s Clubhouse, I was immediately energized by the opportunity. Bringing people together to build friendships, celebrate inclusion and enjoy the game of baseball was incredibly exciting.
“What made it even more special was that we weren’t just there for our teams—every coach, staff member and volunteer showed up for every athlete. That spirit of unity speaks to the true beauty of inclusion and belonging. This event was one of the most meaningful experiences I’ve had the privilege to be a part of—it wasn’t just about baseball, it was about connection, dignity and joy.”
According to the press release, Casey’s Clubhouse was founded by Sean Casey and his wife, Mandy, and provides inclusive sports opportunities for children and athletes with special needs. The organization promotes fitness, teamwork and the joy of sports, as it works to foster a sense of community and belonging, celebrate abilities, and remove barriers for people of all abilities.
